English Language & Usage Asked on February 7, 2021
I want to use the word Distribution as it is used normally in the English language in a text where Distribution refers (also?) to the technical (Statistical) term. How can I do so while also marking the different use of the word, what is (functionally/semantically) the best alternative/synonym?
An example being the "Distribution of wealth" in a text discussing said distribution but employing the word Distribution as a tecnical term distinct from the way Distribution is usually used. Like Probability Distribution (also simply Distribution).
Distribution: The result of distributing; the allocation/the division of something with exactitude and methodicity.
Allocation: The result of allocating; the segregation of a set of things and their placement or establishment in a defined space.
The meanings of Distribution and Allocation seem to be different even if thesauri list them as synonyms and the defintion of Distribution employees Allocation. I am really straining at a gnat but I would like the nuances and the feelings evoked by a synonym to be as close as possible to Distribution.
To me, distribution in the colloquial sense is the opposite of the statistical distribution. When you say "distribution of wealth", you are implying that some have more wealth than others. When you talk about distributing alms to the poor, you are attempting to level something that is inherently unequal.
Allocation also lacks the connotation of evenness or fairness. Everyone gets an allocation of goods, but there is no reason to believe that everyone gets the same amount.
To your question, if you are asking what word could be used to replace distribution, it depends on your context.
IF you are describing a bell curve, you could say that the results are predictably spaced, or tend to fall within expected ranges, or that they have a normal distribution.
If you are talking about cutting a pie into several pieces so that several people can share, you could say that each person gets their share of the pie or is entitled to their allotment or gets a slice or allocation.
Answered by mankowitz on February 7, 2021
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